Getting ready for the World Cup fever that will hit your classrooms soon? The football World Cup means foreign languages are everywhere. From the names of players and teams and proper nouns for countries to sub- titles and people being interviewed in different languages! Great opportunty to set up our "World Cup Word Speed Trials". Challenge language learners to test their dexterity, speed and language skills. This morning thanks to Facebook,I was insoired to tweet about this game, originally created for EYFS and Nursery.

Here is the game, adapted for use with KS2 and possibly Year 7 language learners.

Aim of the game

To challenge each player to move the ball through each tunnel (tube) in the correct order as quickly as possible.

The order that the ball must travel is determined by the content and the sequence of the target language words e.g. days of week (Monday to Sunday), months of the year (January to December , numbers 1-10 , tens from 10-100 etcetra.

The game will work with verb endings too - so take a regular present tense verb and can the player move the ball through the tunnels in the correct order from first person singular (I) to third person plural (they).

You could give tables names of countries and see who is fasteste and best each week etc ,using different or same content.

A target language four core skill and grammar speed challenge.

Writing- recall and then write out the target language words on cards for the content required e.g. days of week / numbers 1-10 etcetra.

Writing - create a a written target language plan of the the tunnels positions on rough paoer first or gap fill missing letters on a pre-prepared target language plan of the game board.

Speaking -before starting the game, say the anticiipated correct route of the sequence of words or phrases that the player anticipates the ball will travel as the ball passess through specific tunnels.

Reading out loud- call out the word on each specific tunnel as the ball passes through that tunnel.

Reading - read the words of the verb phrases written out in the target language and create symbols to represent these instead of words on the card tunnels on the game.

Listening and responding- listen out for the word or verb phrase spoken by the teacher and then move the ball through the tunnel.

Listening and responding- listen out for the word or verb phrase spoken by the teacher and then move the ball through the tunnel. This time though the teacher will say the words in a random order.

Grammar- re-create the paradigm of a present tense verb by moving the ball through the tunnels in the correct order

Sentence structure- reconstruct a simple target language sentence using a noun, verb and an adjective or adjectives.

Sentence structure - reconstruct an extended sentences, using singular and plural nouns, personal pronoun ,verb, adjectives in correct position with correct agreement and a conjunction to create the extended sentence. Don't forget the capital letter on the first word , the full stop as a tunnel on it's own and a comma when required.

To make the game:

Step One - Before start you need a tray, a small football (Subbuteo size really) , tubes to cut donw to make a tunnels , blu-tac , card and paints.

Step Two -Take a look at the diensions of your tray lid so that you can see the rough size that to cut up the tubes to make tunnels to fit on the lid and allow space to move the ball around the board.You could use cardboard and create your own game boards.

Step Three- write out your word cards.

Step Four- Cut down the tubes to size, paint the tunnels and blu tac to the tray.

Step Five- Blu-tac the word cards to the tunnels .Use blu-tac so you can use the game board again and just change the word cards.

Add the subbuteo size football and source stop- watches if you want to time the game or an egg timer to see if the children can complete the game before the egg timer runs out? The game is ready to be played.